Eddie Lack, Canucks blank Hurricanes in fifth straight win

Vancouver Canucks Eddie Lack battles the Carolina Hurricanes.

Photograph by: Mark van Manen
, PNG

VANCOUVER — Eddie Lack would make a wonderful storm-chaser. After all, he’s proving to be very effective dealing with Hurricanes.

For the second time in just over a week, Lack backstopped the Vancouver Canucks to a win over the Carolina Hurricanes. This one was a shutout as the rookie backup stopped all 31 shots he faced in his Rogers Arena debut to lead the Canucks to a 2-0 victory.

“Well, it is my first shutout in the NHL, so of course it’s a big deal and something that I am going to remember forever,” Lack said while proudly wearing the Canucks’ player-of-the-game Haida hat.

Lack said he planned to call his father, Jan, who is a carpenter back home in Sweden and gets up very early to watch his son play.

“Yeah, he’s probably crying at home there,” Lack said. “Since I came over three and half years ago he’s pretty much watched every game I have played. I’m sure he’s very happy at home and I think he’s a little bit tired, but it‘s going to be a pretty good day at work for him.”

Lack is the first Canuck goalie to register a shutout in his home debut since Johan Hedberg did it way back on Oct. 11, 2003 when he beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-0.

Lack looked poised and in control all night. He did a nice job of controlling his rebounds and when the Canes got a blue-chip scoring chance, he made the big save.

His best may have come late in the second period when he robbed Patrick Dwyer on a rebound from in close.

“It was my rebound so I kind of had to clean up my own mess,” Lack said.

It seemed fitting that Lack’s best friend on the Canucks, defenceman Chris Tanev, scored what proved to be the winning goal early in the first period.

“The guys did an unbelievable job and it was funny that Chris had the game-winner,” Lack said.

Lack is now 4-2-0 this season and has yet to really play a bad game for the Canucks.

For the fifth straight game, the Canucks opened scoring. Tanev put a wrist shot from just above the right faceoff circle past Carolina goalie Justin Peters at 3:35 of the first period for his second goal of the season.

“He’s an awesome guy, I am so happy for him,” Tanev said of Lack. “I am glad I could play a part in getting Eddie his shutout.”

It was Vancouver’s fifth straight win, matching the Montreal Canadiens for the current longest streak in the NHL.

And thanks to that streak, the Canucks no longer have to look up, way up, to see the meat of the NHL’s Western Conference. Suddenly, they are in the thick of it. Their 41 points have them tied with the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues for fifth in West, although the Canucks officially remain seventh based on games played.

Vancouver is just points behind conference co-leaders Chicago and Anaheim.

The Canucks are now winning games that not so long ago they were managing to lose.

“We are finding ways to win games and we are getting the lead a lot, too,” said defenceman Kevin Bieksa, who had a particularly strong game on the back end.

The Canucks scored first Monday night for the fifth straight game.

“We are playing with a lead and we’re playing well with the lead,” Bieksa said. “I think we went through a little stretch in the last homestand where we were getting the lead and playing well, but we were blowing it at the end of the game. I think we learned from it.. We learned the hard way and I think we are doing a good job the same way now and playing high-percentage in the third period but not sitting back and still attacking when we get the chance and pushing for that second or third goal. We didn’t get it tonight but I still don’t think we played a whole lot in our own end in the third period.”

The Canucks did finally get that second goal, but it was an empty-netter by Jannik Hansen at 18:46 of the third period that iced the win.

Lack was greeted with chants of “Eddie, Eddie” by the fans in the dying seconds of the game.

“I heard it Abbotsford once before (with the Chicago Wolves),” Lack said. “It was a little bit more fun today, that’s for sure.”

“The thing I like most about Eddie is just his presence,” said coach John Tortorella. “I think he settled the team down. There is not a lot of extra movement in his game and he moves the puck very well. He made a couple of plays in the third period to get us out of our end zone which were really good. He doesn't get rattled and I think that's important.”

Winger Tom Sestito was scratched due to an undisclosed injury. His place in the lineup was taken by Jeremy Welsh.

The Canucks improved to 18-10-5 and are now 8-5-3 at home. Vancouver’s next game is Friday night (a 6 p.m. start) at home against Edmonton.

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